The betel nut is a nut that is chewed as a mild stimulant. It is probably used much more frequently than other masticatory agents including tobacco, chewing gum and cola.
This very ancient practice was indulged in by all classes of people throughout history.
The habit is prevalent from the Reunion islands and Zanzibar to India, Burma, Malaysia, Vietnam, South eastern China, Indonesia, the Philippines and islands of the Pacific Ocean. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus described the habit as far back as 340 B.C. itself. Chewing betel is so widespread in India that over 100,000 tons of nuts are used in India alone. It is usually chewed after meals or more commonly along with betel leaf or pan, with or without tobacco, and some-times with a variety of many other ingredients that are prepared in rather elaborate ways. Its chewing has become a ceremonial necessity in this country. It forms an auspicious material for greeting elders, guests and gods.
Betel or areca nut (probably named after its name in Kannada, viz.,adake) are the seeds of the betel palm, Areca catechu. They belong to the same family as the coconut i.e. Palae. Chamber’s English Dictionary traces the root of the term Areca to a Portuguese adaptation of the Malaysian word, adekka, for the plant.
The term catechu refers to a dark extract of some Indian plants such as acacia. In Malay, this is called cachu while in India, it is more known ascathaa, though the term kachu is also found in North Karnataka.
The plant is native of Malaysia especially the Sunda Islands, but it is extensively cultivated wherever the nuts are used, for instance, in India and the eastern Archipelago. Betel chewing is often a complex art. The simplest and the most common method is to take a mixture of three ingredients, betel leaf, betel nut and lime. Slices of cured or semi ripe or fully ripe nuts are placed in the mouth with fresh leaves of betel smeared with lime. It gives a fine fragrance to the breath, but stains and destroys teeth and gums. It however aids digestion. Quite often an elaborate mixture of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and other spices are added along with the betel leaf. Another method is to use tobacco. The use of betel is however habit inducing.
